AFROTC PDTs

I'm pretty sure this information is out to many detachments but PDTs (Professional Development Training) is now mandatory for commissioning. For current GMCs, they will be required to do 1 as a GMC and 1 as a POC. For AS300s, they are required to do 1 PDT, and for AS400s, they are exempt.

How do y'all feel about this? Personally, I think it's a good way to get more knowledge of the actual service itself and depending on what is classified as a "PDT," it might be a hassle for a lot of cadets (I think more for AS300s as they have to now cram it into their schedules) considering some PDTs go for weeks.

I think it is a great idea. Once you are ADAF, you will need to do PME (Professional Military Education) to make rank. This is on top of your job demands, your personal life (spouse/kids), getting a Master degree at the same time.

In essence, they are training you via baby steps how to juggle 4 balls at one time while in ROTC.
1. Job within the unit --- meetings as an AS 300/400
2. ROTC LLAB and PT (PME)
3. Academics ---you will always be taking tests to stay current or upgrade to the next level in the ADAF world
4. Social life outside of ROTC

This is just another way to get you ready for the REAL AF as an officer.

JMPO, but college is flipping easy, even in ROTC. Avg cadet even with 21 credits and ROTC = 26 hrs? Academic assignments/studying for exams = 15 more hrs. IOWS, 40 hrs a week. Same if not less hrs than an officer in the AF does every single week. Only difference...ADAF does it 52 weeks a yr, minus their 30 days of leave. AFROTC cadet does it 36 weeks a year since a semester is only 18 weeks at best.

If any cadet beaachhhes about doing this, than I would turn to them and say SHUT UP and COLOR, especially if they want rated. If you can't juggle 3 or more hrs per week for ROTC, there is no way in Hades you will be able to succeed in the ADAF.

I think it is a great idea. Once you are ADAF, you will need to do PME (Professional Military Education) to make rank. This is on top of your job demands, your personal life (spouse/kids), getting a Master degree at the same time.

In essence, they are training you via baby steps how to juggle 4 balls at one time while in ROTC.
1. Job within the unit --- meetings as an AS 300/400
2. ROTC LLAB and PT (PME)
3. Academics ---you will always be taking tests to stay current or upgrade to the next level in the ADAF world
4. Social life outside of ROTC

This is just another way to get you ready for the REAL AF as an officer.

JMPO, but college is flipping easy, even in ROTC. Avg cadet even with 21 credits and ROTC = 26 hrs? Academic assignments/studying for exams = 15 more hrs. IOWS, 40 hrs a week. Same if not less hrs than an officer in the AF does every single week. Only difference...ADAF does it 52 weeks a yr, minus their 30 days of leave. AFROTC cadet does it 36 weeks a year since a semester is only 18 weeks at best.

If any cadet beaachhhes about doing this, than I would turn to them and say SHUT UP and COLOR, especially if they want rated. If you can't juggle 3 or more hrs per week for ROTC, there is no way in Hades you will be able to succeed in the ADAF.

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I think completely discrediting the effort (AF)ROTC students put into their academic AND ROTC as well as any extracurricular or social activities is ill-considered. As an engineer pursuing electrical engineering / computer science, I know I worked like it was the finals week almost every week during my Sophomore/Junior year, with <5 hours of sleep on countless weekdays. This is mainly why our retention rate is not as high as we like it to be. Sure, ADAF lifestyle with all the aforementioned stuff might be hard to balance... but if anything, ROTC+engineering student lifestyle definitely helped me to embrace and be prepared for that kind of lifestyle.

This is just another way to get you ready for the REAL AF as an officer.

JMPO, but college is flipping easy, even in ROTC. Avg cadet even with 21 credits and ROTC = 26 hrs? Academic assignments/studying for exams = 15 more hrs. IOWS, 40 hrs a week. Same if not less hrs than an officer in the AF does every single week. Only difference...ADAF does it 52 weeks a yr, minus their 30 days of leave. AFROTC cadet does it 36 weeks a year since a semester is only 18 weeks at best.

If any cadet beaachhhes about doing this, than I would turn to them and say SHUT UP and COLOR, especially if they want rated. If you can't juggle 3 or more hrs per week for ROTC, there is no way in Hades you will be able to succeed in the ADAF.

Click to expand...

I think PDT is a good thing but for different reasons. I don’t understand the 3 hrs per week you quote as that is leadership lab or aerospace studies - PDT is a 1-2 week or more program in the summers.
Benefits:
1. Exposure to career fields earlier and understanding the different roles
2. Get a sense of life as a CGO
3. Explore some usaf locations and get an opportunity for training that is typically only offered to USAFA cadets
As a 4yr AFROTC scholarship engineering student at a top ranked school, college was tough. Not a lot of free time and I felt active duty was much easier (got an engineering masters, professional engineering license, in residence PME plus tech and combat training courses with tons of deployments -and still thought college was tougher than AD).
In addition, my summer camp was 4 weeks long so clipping a couple of those weeks and spend them shadowing NCOs and CGOs would be better.
The downside of PDT would be that I spent most summers working at civilian companies as an engineering intern to pay for my room and board. If I had to do PDT for 2 weeks in the summer, I would’ve had to take out more loans which would have bit into the marginal O1 pay.
My DS is now a 4yr engineering scholarship cadet and just told me about PDT. I hope he enters AD with a better sense of career fields than what I did.
I think the real value will only come true if the hosting unit puts on a good program otherwise it will just waste time and money.
cheers!

My point was school is 40 hrs a week when you add in classes, ROTC and hw assignments, studying for exams, work is more than that in the ADAF.

My DH is currently attending the National Defense University Eisenhower School (PME to make O6/SES or higher), between classes and assignments he does more than 40 hrs a week. When he did CGSC (as an exchange student from the AF) had he not had his Master degree already he would have been doing way more than 40 hrs between his PME to make O5 (CGSC) school and his grad school. There were many officers at CGSC that were doing just that for their yr at school.

So in the end if you want to make rank you will know many officers that do that much studying. Some will be doing close to this level of studying at UPT, chair flying is a form of studying, which is on top of studying for the exams.

I am not saying it is every yr. However, I am saying to make rank academics will be part of your life for as long as you serve, and even afterwards if you go GS. The lucky ones do PME in residence, thus, their true job is being a student for a yr, while the others will take it by correspondence or seminar, which means they are doing their job during the day, and come home to study for that PME course. Again, making it more than a 40 hr work week for them just because the AF says you need that school to make rank.